War on Terrorism

Monday, July 24, 2017

John T. Booker Jr., 22, of Topeka, Kan., was sentenced today
to 30 years in prison for attempting to detonate a vehicle bomb on the Fort
Riley military base in Manhattan, Kan. On Feb. 3, 2016, Booker pleaded guilty
to one count of attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction and one count of
attempted destruction of government property by fire or explosion.

Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security Dana
J. Boente, U.S. Attorney Tom Beall of the District of Kansas and Special Agent
in Charge Darrin E. Jones of the FBI’s sKansas City Division made the
announcement.

“With this sentence, John Booker is being held accountable
for his plan to kill U.S. military personnel on American soil in the name of
ISIS,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Boente. “The National Security
Division’s highest priority is countering terrorist threats and protecting
American lives by bringing to justice those who plot to attack us. I want to
thank the many agents, analysts, and prosecutors who made this result
possible.”

“Violent extremism is
a threat to America and all its people,” Acting U.S. Attorney Beall said. “Our
goal is to prevent violent extremists and their supporters from inspiring,
financing or carrying out acts of violence.”

“The investigation leading to today's sentencing illustrates
the FBI's commitment to disrupting acts of terrorism,” said Special Agent in
Charge Jones. “If Mr. Booker had been successful in detonating a car bomb, the
results could have been dozens, if not hundreds, of casualties. The FBI and our
law enforcement partners remain committed to protecting the citizens of the
United States and thwarting acts of terrorism.”

In his guilty plea, Booker admitted he intended to kill
American soldiers and to assist ISIS’s (Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham)
fight against the U.S. His plan called for constructing a bomb containing 1,000
pounds of ammonium nitrate. Booker intended to trigger the bomb himself and die
in the process, and filmed a video he intended Americans to see after his
death.

“You sit in your homes and think this war is just over in
Iraq,” Booker said in the video. “Today we will bring the Islamic State
straight to your doorstep.”

Unbeknownst to Booker, the bomb that he constructed was made
with inert materials, and the two men working with him were undercover
informants for the FBI.

The FBI began investigating Booker in March 2014 after he
posted on his Facebook page that he wanted to commit jihad. Booker admitted
that he tried to enlist in the U.S. Army in order to commit an insider attack
against American soldiers like the one at Fort Hood in Texas, but his deadly
plans were thwarted when he was denied entry into the Army. In October 2014,
Booker began communicating with an undercover FBI informant. He told the
undercover FBI informant that he dreamed of being a fighter in the Middle East,
and proposed capturing and killing an American soldier.

In March 2015, Booker was introduced to another FBI
informant who he believed would help him plan an attack. Booker said he wanted
to detonate a suicide bomb because he couldn’t be captured, all the evidence
would be destroyed, and he would be guaranteed to hit his target. On March 10,
2015, Booker made a video filmed at Freedom Park near Marshall Army Airfield at
Fort Riley in which he pledged allegiance to Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, the leader
of ISIS. That month, he rented a storage unit in Topeka where the bomb would be
assembled.

On April 10, 2015, Booker and the informants drove to an
area near Fort Riley that Booker believed to be a little-used utility gate
where they could enter Fort Riley undetected. He was arrested when he made the
final connections on the device that he believed would arm the bomb.

Mr. Boente and Mr. Beall commended the FBI Joint Terrorism
Task Force for their investigation of this case. They also thanked Assistant
Trial Attorneys Josh Parecki and Rebecca Magnone of the National Security
Division’s Counterterrorism Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Tony Mattivi
of the District of Kansas, who prosecuted this case.

Sunday, July 23, 2017

An indictment was returned July 21 charging Ikaika Erik
Kang, 34, an Army sergeant first class stationed at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii,
with attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and
al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization. Kang was
previously arrested on July 8, and ordered detained pending further
proceedings.

Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security Dana
J. Boente, Acting U.S. Attorney Elliot Enoki of the District of Hawaii and
Special Agent in Charge Paul Delacorte of the FBI’s Honolulu Field Office made
the announcement.

The grand jury indictment, which was filed on July 19,
charged Kang with four counts of attempting to provide material support to
ISIS, based on events that occurred in Hawaii between June 21 and July 8. The
indictment and an earlier criminal complaint allege that Kang met with
undercover agents of the FBI whom he believed to be affiliated with ISIS and
provided military information, some of which was classified at the SECRET
level. Kang is also charged with providing property (a drone,s military
clothing and equipment) and training (instruction on combat techniques and
weapons training which was videotaped for future use by ISIS) to undercover
agents whom he believed to be affiliated with ISIS.

Kang will appear in court on July 24, for an arraignment and
plea on the charges, at which time a trial date will be scheduled.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and a defendant is
presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a
court of law. If convicted of the charges, Kang faces a maximum of 20 years in
prison and up to a $250,000 fine for each count. The maximum statutory sentence
is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes. If
convicted of any offense, the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by
the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory
factors.

The case was investigated by the FBI and the U.S. Army
Criminal Investigation Division. This case is being prosecuted by Trial
Attorney Taryn Meeks of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism
Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ken Sorenson and Marc Wallenstein.

Saturday, July 22, 2017

Amer Sinan Alhaggagi, 22, of Oakland, California, was
indicted yesterday by a federal grand jury in San Francisco with attempting to
provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization.

Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security Dana
J. Boente, U.S. Attorney Brian J. Stretch of the Northern District of
California and Special Agent in Charge John F. Bennett of the FBI’s San
Francisco Field Office.

According to the indictment, Alhaggagi, 22, of Oakland,
California, is alleged to have knowingly attempted to provide services and
personnel to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), between July and
November of 2016, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2339B. ISIS is a designated
foreign terrorist organization. The indictment alleges that the services
Alhaggagi attempted to provide included opening social media accounts for the
use, benefit and promotion of ISIS, and that the personnel he provided was
himself.

The indictment also alleges three counts of identity theft
offenses – two counts of identity theft, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1029, and
one count of aggravated identity theft, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1028A. With
respect to those charges, an affidavit previously filed by an agent of the FBI
in connection with a criminal complaint in the same matter alleged that
Alhaggagi had used a stolen credit card to make $4,932 in fraudulent online
purchases from a clothing company.

The FBI arrested Alhaggagi, a U.S. citizen, on Nov. 29,
2016, based on a criminal complaint charging identity theft. Magistrate Judge
Kandis Westmore ordered Alhaggagi detained following his arrest based on
findings that he presented a flight risk and a danger to the community. The
complaint and the previous proceedings against Alhaggagi were unsealed yesterday
when the indictment was returned.

Alhaggagi’s arraignment has not yet been scheduled.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and a defendant is
presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a
court of law. If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum total sentence of 47
years on all four counts in the indictment, and a fine of $250,000 for each
count. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided
here for informational purposes. If convicted of any offense, the sentencing of
the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing
Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the
FBI, the Special Prosecutions and National Security Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s
Office for the Northern District of California, the National Security
Division’s Counterterrorism Section of the U.S. Department of Justice, and
members of the Joint Terrorism Task Force, including the Oakland Police Department
and the Berkeley Police Department.